First Impressions
So uhm... this is one of the best debut albums I've heard.
With my slightly more than deep knowledge of this band, I knew to expect something good, punky and conceptual. And I had heard and love some songs from this album from before this, but my goodness. The whole thing is actually so good.
This is punk at it's absolute peak. It's got everything that makes it great and makes it just fresh enough to be perfection for the genre if you ask me.
Usually there is only one or two things that really stick out to me as highlights for an album. Here? I don't know where to even begin.
I suppose let's start with the most obvious and controversial aspect of this band. Claudio Sanchez. Yes, his voice is absolutely too high to be coming out of someone like him. It is shocking and maybe even a little off-putting at first. But honestly it only takes just a tiny bit of adjustment to get used to it.
Once you do... hooooly. Honestly, he is one of the best singers I've heard recently. Not only can he hit incredibly high notes, but the energy he carries is insane. He is super aggressive and expressive with his voice, but it's never theatrical, as someone like Daniel Gildenlöw from Pain Of Salvation would. No, Claudio does emotion in a much more punky way. He screams, he screeches, he puts so much energy into the vocals that I feel like he must've been exhausted by the time he finished recording each song. The best examples of this are Everything Evil and Hearshot Kid Disaster.
If I were to pinpoint another highlight, and maybe the main one of this album if I have to make it a little all-encompassing. It is how absolutely insane and balls-to-the-walls this album is.
All the songs are just driving, make you wanna mosh while singing along to them. It's got super solid riffs that go from your classic punk one chord chugs to really crazy key changes and leads that just don't chill. Seriously, there is very little time where at least one lead guitar is not just popping off in the back for no good reason except it's awesome. This is especially the case in 33 and Everything Evil.
The drums? Super fast, tight as hell, it's matches the caffeine-shot of an album all of these songs make. They are nothing mind blowing but they don't have to be, they're just always driving, doing crazy fast fills when needed.
While the playing here isn't anything virtuosic, honestly it slightly teeters on it, at least from the songwriting perspective. So many bands have a debut that has a lot of energy, but they just don't know how to write songs yet. Here? Nah they did not come to play. Every song has memorable melodies, catchy hooks, absolutely incredible and epic bridges. It's insane.
Now, is this a prog album as much as it is a punk album? Iiiii don't think so. There is definitely some prog here. But I think the spirit and the vibes of the album are much more punk and emo than prog. However, this does not mean that this is not a forward-thinking album.
Part of why this album works so well and why the songwriting is so good is because of complex the songwriting is. Sure it's not Dream Theater but it is waaay more complex than your regular punk album. There are different sections, evolution and development of themes, key changes, and the playing is honestly too good for it to just be considered punk.
Yeah you have stuff like Devil in Jersey City, which is straight up one of the most emo punk songs I've ever heard. But you also have Time Consumer, God Send Conspirator, Junesong Provision. All of these songs are long, have multiple movements, and are just written so well. They're pretty much mini epics with how cathartic they feel.
That's another word I would use for this album, cathartic. My goodness it just feels so big and grand. And this is with pretty dry production. It's just the way everything screams, the guitars, the vocals, it all just sounds like a scream. And this is paired with a conceptual narrative. When do you see punk doing this? Power metal, Prog metal, even Rock Operas. But this is super unique and it is so good.
Once again, one of the most impressive first efforts I've ever seen.
Ranking
Time Consumer
33
God Send Conspirator
Devil In Jersey City
Hearshot Kid Disaster
Delirium Trigger
Everything Evil
Neverender
Junesong Provision
Second Stage Turbine Blade
Rating